Gwich'in Athabascan Implements: History, Manufacture, and Usage According to Reverend David Salmon

 The most detailed and well-illustrated study of material culture for any northern Athabascan language group to date, Gwich’in Athabascan Implements reproduces pre- and early post-contact tools that are historically important to the Athabaskan people. A long-term collaboration between anthropologist Thomas O’Brien and Athabascan elder David Salmon, this volume provides more than one hundred one-to-one sketches of a wide variety of implements, many of which are no longer commonly found in use.

Table of Contents:
Figures Foreword Author's Note Acknowledgments Introduction     A Brief History      Gwich’ in Athabascan Homeland     Background     The “Tools” of Teaching     Working Together Chapter 1: General Information Associated with the Artifacts     Rules, Taboos, and Good Luck     Raw Materials     Leadership     Trading Chapter 2: Artifacts Associated with Hunting     Bone Spear for Grizzly Bear Hunting, Yukon Flats Style     “Little Owl” Rabbit Throwing Stick     Caribou Signaling Tool     Shoulder Blade for Moose Calling     Bows and Arrows     The Boy’s Bow—For Ages Five to Ten     The Boy’s Practice Arrow—For Ages Five to Ten     The Youth’s Bow—For Ages Ten to Fifteen     The Youth’s Arrows—For Ages Ten to Fifteen     The Man’s Bow—For Ages Fifteen to Adult     The Man’s Arrows—For Ages Fifteen to Adult     Arctic Village Region Man’s Blunter Arrow     Yukon Flats Region Man’s Blunter Arrow     Yukon Flats Region Man’s Metal Blunter Arrow     Birch Creek Region Man’s Single-Pronged Fancy Water Arrow     Birch Creek Region Man’s Single- Pronged Water Arrow     Birch Creek Region Man’s Bone Two-Pronged Water Arrow     Yukon Flats Region Man’s Metal Two-Pronged Water Arrow     Eagle Region Man’s Bone Hunting Arrow     Arctic Village Region Man’s Notched Hunting Arrow     Crow Flats Region Man’s Hunting Arrow     Man’s Iron Trade Arrow     Man’s Leaf-Shaped Iron Trade Arrow Chapter 3: Artifacts Associated with Fishing     Bone Ice Chisel     Bone Hooks     Fish Spear     King Salmon Dip Net Chapter 4: Artifacts Associated with General and Special Purposes     Caribou Leg Bone Knife     The Athabascan Staff of Life     Rain Chaser Chapter 5: Artifacts Associated with Gaming     Caribou Toe Game or “Grandpa’s Heel”     Cone-Shaped Stick Game     Pulling Stick Game Chapter 6: Artifacts Associated with Manufacturing     Moose Leg Bone Skinner, Yukon Flats Style     Tanana River–Style Skinner     Caribou Hind Leg Scraper or Beaming Tool     Bone Puncher/Awl     Bone Snowshoe Needle     Snowshoe Gimlet     How to Measure Snowshoe Frames Conclusion Reflections on the Partnership     Committing to Friendship and Partnering     Common Ground and Partnership     Lasting Commitments Appendix I: Glossary Appendix II: Gwich'in Nomenclature Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Thomas A. O'Brien received an MA in anthropology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

Review :
“Very few ethnographers or anthropologists are willing or able to take the time to do the kind of careful work that David and Tom did together over the years. And there are very few elders anywhere in the Athabascan area who have David’s range of knowledge. . . . This is a story that needed to be told.” “Immensely interesting and insightful, Gwich’in Athabascan Implements is a core addition to any world history and anthropology collection.” “The book contains the wealth of [Reverend David] Salmon's detailed information, insights, and stories in Salmon's own voice without filtering them through disciplinary jargon or theory, allowing him to continue to teach future generations about how men survived in the Arctic.This exemplary book's maps, photographs, and drawings are superb and illustrate the craftsmanship and ingenuity of the toolmakers. Important for anyone working in material culture studies, indigenous studies, or anthropology. . . . Highly recommended.”